High-Throughput Screens To Identify Autophagy Inducers That Function by Disrupting Beclin 1/Bcl-2 Binding.

ABSTRACT: Autophagy, a lysosomal degradation pathway, plays a crucial role in cellular homeostasis, development, immunity, tumor suppression, metabolism, prevention of neurodegeneration, and lifespan extension. Thus, pharmacological stimulation of autophagy may be an effective approach for preventing or treating certain human diseases and/or aging. We sought to establish a method for developing new chemical compounds that specifically induce autophagy. To do this, we developed two assays to identify compounds that target a key regulatory node of autophagy induction-specifically, the binding of Bcl-2 (a negative regulator of autophagy) to Beclin 1 (an allosteric modulator of the Beclin 1/VPS34 lipid kinase complex that functions in autophagy initiation). These assays use either a split-luciferase ass

SUBMITTER: Chiang WC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6250051 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature